Process of treating nickel ores



\ ably after beingcrushed,

rmarmus 11. canon, or wnmsvnn'nnn, JAVA, DUTCH ms T IN DIES ASSIGN 0.1? TO CLEVENGEB & GABON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: A FIR.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTINUS H. CaRoN, a subject of Queen of Netherlands, resldent of Weltevreden, Java, Dutch East Indles, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treat1n I Ores of which the following 1s a speclficatlon.

The present invention is a process of treating nickel ores, particularly hydrated s1l1-. cates, for the recovery of nlckel.

It is generally known that hydrated s 1l1- cates of nickel, such as garnlerlte, genthlte, nepouite, noumeite, pimelite, eto., and nickel ores of oxidic character, in most of which the nickel is associated with base-metal oxids and earthy substances, cannot be satisfactorily extracted by acid or other hydrometallurgical treatment.

By the present process nlckel ores of the character referred to are made readily amenuble to the usual modes of metal-recovery.

According to my process, the ore, preferis first subjected to a reducing roast, by means of producer gas, wood gas or any other generator gas or reducing agent. This may be done either by directly heating the ore in the reducing atmosphere, or by first heating the ore to the. proper temperature and thereafter Sub ectin; it to the reducing agents. The principal thing in this reduction, which may be suitably effected by means of CO, H,,, (C ll etc., is that the hydrous nickel silicate is completely reduced to a black, readily-soluble condition indicative of amorphous metallic nickel.

The temperature of largely on the kind of reduction depends ore treated, and an earthy nickel ore may be reduced at a much lower temperature than other varieties and still enable excellent acid extractions to be,

made. In the case of garnierite and similar hydrous nickel silicates, temperatures of from 850 to. 900 C. may be required to yield a readily extractable product. Temperatures higher than 900 may be used, although from the standpoint of fuel economy this will have little advantage. 7

The black amorphous nickel partially reoxidizes if exposed to the air While hot and goes over again to less soluble compounds.

Nickel Specification of Letters Patent.

Applloation filed May 19, 1919. serial No. 293,148.

rnocnss or TREATING NICKEL cans,

Reoxidation must and the a n b ther this may reduced ore to the be accomplished Patented Jui 13,1920.

prevented, by cooling necessary degree in efore be on-oxidizing or reducing atmosphere, or

chilling the hot or partially cooled ore 1n water, out. of contact with air, or in any access to the hot ore. cooled in producer gas, -1f1t ISClGSIIGd torecover the nickel in the recare should xclude oxygen from reduced ore is be taken,

duced condition described that at temperaof volatile nickel-carbo magnetic, and the soluble in strong 0 such as niter-cake,

or may be nyl.

fter the reduction step, the ore is very split by hydrolysis,

brought into nickel-content is readily r dilute acids, acid salts, or salts which are readsuch as ferric salts, solut1on by normal base-metal salts such as copper sulfate, etc.

In the latter case nickel sulfate is produced nickel is dissolved out by dilute acids, heatmg 1s not generally necessary, since in most cases temperatures of 30 C. or less are sufiictlon of the nickel.

cient for Furtherm solution 0 a good extra ore if heat is employed, undesirable. f some of the silica may occur.

From the solutions containing the. nickel, metal may be readily recovered by electrolysis or any other of I claim:

the

l l. nickel silicate sub nickel silicate ores,

ores, the s jecting the ore to a the n subjecting the ore t ducing roast and der reducing conditions.

nickel silicate in heating the sub cooli In the process of re ores, the ore to jeeting the heated non-oxi e process of rec roastin ore to the action of a agent.

the known methods.

the process of recovering values from teps which consist in preparatory reduomg roast and cooling the reduced ore under ditions.

steps which consist o a preparatory reng t e reduced ore covering values from steps which consist temperature,

and cooling the red izi'ng conditions.

overing values from Y nickel silicate ores, comprising subjecting the the ore to a preparatory reducing roast, coulorevto a preperetox y'redue llg oeet; 001mg mg the reduced ore under nonm;idizing g eomh- (KmdltlOnS, and dissolmng the nickel values 10 the reduced ore under non-oxu'hzi tlons, and extracting the nickel vulues'from from the reduced ore.

6 the reduced ore.

, In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

5. The rocess of recovering values fl pm cnickel siheate ores, comprlsmg subjecting MARTINUS HQ CARON. 

